Combine Key Club and sports for endless opportunities.A young man standing

My name is Anton McDonald, and I’m an international trustee from the Bahamas District. Sports are a big part of my life. I think I’ve pretty much played every sport at one point. For me, sports can be an escape from everything else going on, and they keep me active.

My golf journey is a long one. I first started playing golf when I was 4 years old. My dad had gotten me into golf and bought me my first set of clubs. When I was younger, I didn’t really enjoy golf as much as I do now. I just wanted to run around and use all of my energy. So I decided that golf wasn’t for me, and I started playing sports like basketball, tennis and track. It’s not until freshman year of high school that I fell in love with golf, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.

This is when things got tricky. The life of a student-athlete is not easy, from waking up early for practices and long gym days to traveling for competitions and so much more. Having a long day of school and a long day of practice while still having to come home to study or do homework can be really exhausting. And, especially in high school, you have to balance academics, sports and other extracurriculars while maintaining a social life. It all comes down to managing your time and setting your priorities.

Think about your life after high school and what’s most important. Think about what can set you up best for your future and what you want to do. Set goals for all the big parts of your life and use those goals to establish your priorities and make important life decisions.

Throughout high school, I had to make so many sacrifices because I had so many interests — and I still do. Key Club has grounded me and made me appreciate all the little things. It made a lot of my bigger decisions much easier, especially with the support of many other Key Club members. If you have a goal or a dream, go for it, no matter how big or small it might be. You can do anything and everything, so don’t limit yourself. Nothing is impossible.